Infinite Hunter

Of course, the only effect his bow and arrow could have on the other side was an explosive arrow... "Since I started hunting, things have never been this bad." Cheng Yijiu muttered as he continued to track. Is the deer dangerous? Very dangerous - not to mention the force of the steel body's collision, just the sharp antlers alone would make Cheng Yijiu feel like he would have at least a dozen blood grooves on his body.

"I'll be a rag after this collision," Cheng Yijiu muttered. He'd been chasing the hoof prints for a whole day, relying on his superhuman energy to keep going. There was no signal in this damn place, so he had no idea what was happening with Elizabeth and Nathan. But since he didn't see any American military aircraft flying overhead, he figured nothing was wrong. He could only hope these two people were smart enough to cover up this and not drag him down.

Nathan would definitely be able to catch up. As a wildlife photographer, he should have no problem tracking such clear hoof prints.

Cheng Yijiu caught up with the mechanical monster at dusk—it was now a quarter smaller, more streamlined, and more like a living creature. The movement of its gears and hydraulic pipes resembled the contraction and expansion of animal muscles. "How strange... Even the deer's head has deformed, from a single sheet of simulated skin to a complex assembly of moving parts. The problem is, it hasn't grown any weapons, except for those horns."

If it had grown any weapons, Cheng Yijiu thought he should go into the cave and look for any cores—wasn't this clearly a Zoid core? Fortunately, it didn't look like one. If it was anything like the murals in the photos, Cheng Yijiu would have thought it looked like some kind of undead core, formed from the accumulation of dead bones. Now, the mechanical deer stood motionless in the woods, its outstretched horns facing the setting sun.

Cheng Yijiu was practically helpless with it, so his main task now was to observe and look for an opportunity. Seeing the robotic deer motionless, Cheng Yijiu thought he might as well get closer. The man approached cautiously from behind, genuinely unaware of the sensitivity of the robotic deer.

He kept getting close enough to touch it, but the mechanical monster still didn't react. "Power outage?" Cheng Yijiu was curious, but he didn't want to touch it and wake it up. If he were to fight now, he didn't want to use his flesh to fight steel. So he moved back silently again and set up his resting place on top of a tree about five or six meters away from the monster. He secured himself to the trunk with a safety belt and sat astride a thick branch. He smeared ointment on the exposed parts of his body and then prepared to fall asleep with his arms folded.

Of course, after eating two high-calorie food bars and drinking water, the deer remained motionless. Cheng Yijiu could see at night, and he woke up several times during the night but didn't notice the monster moving. "This doesn't look like a living creature..." He decided that if the monster still behaved like this after dawn, he would get closer to see if he could dismantle it.

"Something's coming." Cheng Yijiu looked out into the darkness. He could clearly see a grizzly bear, weighing over 250 kilograms, charging directly at the mechanical deer. This was quite interesting. Cheng Yijiu paid special attention to whether the deer would move. If it didn't, that would be great. He could easily shoot the bear and then deal with the machine and remove the crystal. Perhaps that would be mission accomplished.

"I don't think it's that simple. Why hasn't Nathan shown up yet? It's been a whole day. Could he be planning to come back tomorrow morning?" Cheng Yijiu was still unsure. The grizzly bear was getting closer and closer, and Cheng Yijiu finally confirmed one thing: this mechanical monster was still able to move. When the bear approached to within five meters from the front, Cheng Yijiu saw light shining from the deer's eyes - the external structure of this thing really made it look like a deer's eye, instead of the original two rectangular taillights.

Then, from absolute stillness, it suddenly shifted to extreme movement. The mechanical deer lowered its head and charged at the grizzly bear with its horns pointed at it. Cheng Yijiu shook his head. "This is terrible! I think this bear is doomed." The mechanical deer must have weighed at least two or three tons. A collision with the bear would have been fatal, not to mention its lethal horns.

Chapter VII

Just as Cheng Yijiu had predicted, the mechanical deer lowered its head, charged, and then tilted its head back. The grizzly bear on the other side tried to escape, but was unsuccessful and was hit. Its antlers pierced its body, splitting it open. It flew through the air, bleeding, and fell into the water. "It's gutted!" Cheng Yijiu knew at a glance that the grizzly bear was beyond saving. Numerous broken bones had already reduced it to a pulp, and its internal organs had been disemboweled. It should be dead in ten minutes at most.

The deer moved about like a living creature, but soon it entered a state of paralysis—it stood still and began to repeat its movements, becoming increasingly mechanical. As Cheng Yijiu watched, the machine began to disintegrate once more… The first thing to fall was the antlers, which fell to the ground with a clang and completely disintegrated. "Interesting!" Cheng Yijiu almost instantly regained consciousness, severing the safety rope with a single stroke, ready to leap from the tree at any moment.

Before this, he had already taken out the bow and arrow, and the explosive arrow was ready to shoot at any time.

The skin was shaking, just like real leather, and parts were constantly falling off - Cheng Yijiu clearly saw the transmission structure, "What part of the car is this? Or is it a new part after the metal is deformed? It obviously forms a structure similar to the spine." Cheng Yijiu was looking down and the distance was relatively close, so he could see clearly that each piece of metal structure was not only spherically connected, but also had four tiny springs or hydraulic tubes in between.

This entire spine is definitely a very powerful energy storage and shock absorption structure. "So that mechanical deer doesn't have a spine? It's made of several large pieces." Cheng Yijiu thought about this at this moment. "It's getting smaller again. Looks like my chance has come!" Cheng Yijiu drew his bow. He saw the crystal and its protective structure exposed by the fallen parts. With just a simple arrow...

Cheng Yijiu shot the arrow decisively, and at the same time jumped down and leaned against the tree trunk.

An explosion sounded, and the tree trunk was embedded with flying broken steel. Cheng Yijiu quickly turned out from behind the tree trunk and saw that the monster three meters ahead was struggling and unrecognizable - the parts were shattered and difficult to piece together, and the large parts on the chest had shattered and disappeared, and the crystal could be seen as if it was about to slide out.

At the end of the spine was a half-machined skull, clearly a feline. Cheng Yijiu knew it was a bobcat—the largest cat's skull shape, the largest North American cat. Without giving it much thought, Cheng Yijiu pounced on the crystal as quickly as possible, drawing his hunting knife.

With a thrust of his hunting knife, he pried the crystal out. With his other hand, he grabbed it and kicked the monster, using the reaction force to roll back and run. After rolling and crawling across the ridge, Cheng Yijiu didn't notice the monster chasing him. He thought that after losing the crystal, the creature made up of parts also lost its "life".

Only then could he examine the crystal in his hand carefully. "There seems to be something in the middle, but it's very hard. It's better not to smash it unless it's really important." Cheng Yijiu put the crystal in his pocket, climbed up the tree, fixed it again, and fell asleep. No creature came to attack. The mechanical monster should have completely fallen apart and did not appear, just as Cheng Yijiu expected.

After cleaning himself, eating something and drinking some water, Cheng Yijiu headed back to the base. He certainly couldn't get out on his own; he needed modern transportation. He had already tracked his prey for quite a distance. If he weren't considered one of the jungle's beasts, it would have been difficult to retrace the original route.

He was a bit faster than the chase, but once he finally saw the base, something was amiss. This probably explained why Nathan hadn't caught up with him to help. The base was still in a dire state. The parking lot was a mess, with only the remains of the bodies and debris being cleaned up. The damage to the buildings remained the same, but there was no one walking around inside. Instead, the bison had wandered outside, grazing on plants.

Cheng Yijiu walked to the entrance of one of the base's main buildings and rang the doorbell—he'd checked the guardhouse outside, which had electricity. When the door opened, it was a pale-faced researcher, wasn't it? Cheng Yijiu only had a vague recollection. "What happened?" he asked.

The other party pulled him in and quickly closed the door. Cheng Yijiu followed the man in and finally saw Nathan and Elizabeth, who looked quite bad. Of course, there were two bloody wounded people lying on the hospital beds. Fortunately, since this was a place where extinct creatures were cloned, there were some medicines and medical staff. Although the two people looked miserable, their breathing was quite stable and they should not die soon.

"What happened? Hey, woman, have you prepared enough money?" Cheng Yijiu didn't really care about money in this world. He came here to complete a mission and leave after completing it. How could he make a fortune in this world? But not asking for money was too noble. What was the point of talking about noble character with this unpleasant woman and American imperialism? They only knew how to take advantage of others' misfortunes.

"Did you kill that mechanical monster?" Elizabeth shouted as if she had suddenly come back to life. "Money!" Cheng Yijiu didn't even bother to talk to this woman anymore. He just spoke directly and rubbed his fingers. Nathan glanced at Cheng Yijiu. He should have a better understanding of Cheng Yijiu's abilities. "You can handle such a dangerous thing. You are indeed the best hunter I know."

"That's it, but it doesn't seem to be working anymore. There's no light." Cheng Yijiu took the crystal out of the bag and placed it on the table. "By the way, what happened? Why didn't you come to help me, you bastard?" Elizabeth didn't dare to take the crystal because of the look in Cheng Yijiu's eyes that made him want to kill her. He definitely couldn't give it to her without payment.

But Elizabeth also breathed a sigh of relief. Since this rude man had taken it out, as long as she paid him, she could get it. Then, in the eyes of the company, this loss was nothing. So she had to bite her teeth and take it out. Fortunately, Cheng Yijiu didn't ask for much, only 100,000, which was a small amount of money for a company laboratory conducting biochemical research.

Nathan sighed, "There are wild beasts, man-eating beasts attacking the base. They have already dragged away three people." Cheng Yijiu was very surprised, "Wild beasts? The most ferocious beast here is the grizzly bear. Don't say you can't even deal with a grizzly bear?" Nathan took a breath, "It's not a grizzly bear, it's not that thing. The beasts that attacked the base moved very fast, it's not something a grizzly bear can do."

chapter eight

"Not a grizzly bear? No, what's there in your place that's worthy of being attacked by a more ferocious beast? And wouldn't it be better for a carnivorous beast to drag the calf outside? Why does it have to drag a human? Are you in trouble again?" Cheng Yijiu was also in a dilemma. "Okay, forget about your nonsense. Hurry up and give me the money and find me a car. I'll leave right away."

At this point, Cheng Yijiu also looked at Elizabeth with a meaningful smile, "I don't think the federal government or your company's top management likes to see a foreigner like me on the scene. In order to avoid causing trouble for everyone..." He smiled, "Go back quickly, it will be good for everyone."

Nathan seemed to want to persuade him, but Cheng Yijiu said directly, "What big wild beasts are there in North America? Bobcats? I don't need a gun to deal with it, I can use a knife." The arrogance in her words made Elizabeth frown - this woman was most likely a racist, this was what Cheng Yijiu thought.

As for the beast that dragged the people away, Cheng Yijiu didn't think Nathan was mistaken. He was a qualified wilderness survivor after all, and he had faced terrifying beasts many times before. So it was indeed a problem, but it wasn't his problem, but the problem of this base. Cheng Yijiu was still inclined to believe that they had mistaken it, perhaps mistaking it for a relatively healthy and agile grizzly bear.

Could it be a cat like a mountain lion? If the gray wolves of the Rocky Mountains weren't extinct, Cheng Yijiu would have preferred a pack. In short, as long as he could drive a pickup truck, he wouldn't care about any ferocious beasts. However, Nathan said he could only take a light motorcycle, and as compensation, he could take two standard 20-liter military fuel drums, enough fuel for him to travel hundreds of kilometers.

Elizabeth paid the money, and Cheng Yijiu saw the payment notification on his mobile phone, "OK, it's yours." He pushed the crystal towards the woman on the table, "The machine controlled by this thing can evolve automatically. Fortunately, I interrupted it and finally got it done." Nathan patted Cheng Yijiu, knowing that this guy was definitely a ruthless person.

"Then I'm leaving. Oh, Nathan, I've taken the bow and arrows. Don't look for me for at least six months to a year." Cheng Yijiu waved his hand and prepared to leave. "Hey, are you really not going to consider figuring out what kind of beast it is? You might be in danger." Nathan said this again.

"It would be dangerous for me to stay here. As for the beast? I think it's most likely a grizzly bear. You are too nervous, Nathan." Cheng Yijiu went out directly. There was a lightweight off-road motorcycle full of oil in the inner garage, and Cheng Yijiu hung two flat oil barrels on a special open support frame to avoid touching the rear wheel.

Cheng Yijiu asked for a pair of leather gloves. He was wearing hunting clothes, windproof and water-resistant with a thermal fleece lining. He immediately pushed the motorcycle to the garage door. "Open the door. Oh, Nathan, if you're worried, take your gun." Seeing the men's reluctance, Cheng Yijiu also teased them.

There were no wild animals outside, and the calves had all returned to the pen to rest. "I think it's a puma at most," Cheng Yijiu thought, and started the motorcycle and rushed out.

He drove along the road. He should be able to reach the highway before running out of gas. Then, he could refuel at gas stations and continue all the way to Los Angeles or San Francisco, where he could fly home. This mission was long, yet the pressure seemed really low. The road gradually rose higher. The afternoon sun was still bright, and he didn't see any dangerous beasts on the road.

Soon he reached the mountain pass. Cheng Yijiu stopped the car and looked back at the base a few kilometers below. "Is something moving?" Cheng Yijiu keenly noticed a moving figure and picked up the binoculars hanging around his neck...

"Is there such a beast in North America?" Cheng Yijiu's telescope revealed a large feline with gray-brown fur and faint spots. From where he was looking, he couldn't see the creature's face, as it was actually moving towards a corner of the base with its back to him.

"This guy is really big," Cheng Yijiu looked at the trees on the side and calculated the size of the feline. "The shoulder height is about 1.2 to 1.3 meters. If the estimate is correct, the body weight is about 300 kilograms. It is even bigger than the largest Siberian tiger." Cheng Yijiu watched all this through the telescope. Soon the beast turned its body and Cheng Yijiu saw the head.

"Huh? Lion? Maneless lion? That's not right. Where did Panthera come from in North America?" Cheng Yijiu was surprised. There were no large cats of the genus Panthera in North America ten thousand years ago. But in this damn place like the United States, there are many psychopaths who secretly raise lions and tigers. Who knows if a lion escaped from someone's house?

"This isn't an African lion!" As a hunting expert, Cheng Yijiu immediately recognized that this beast was different from the African maneless lion. "American lion? Damn it, I knew that bastard Nathan was lying! They've already resurrected this large cat, maybe even the Smilodon! And you lied to me!"

"Let them reap what they sow!" Cheng Yijiu cursed, decisively starting his motorcycle and escaping. Using a bow and arrow against a large cat isn't impossible, it's just a bit too risky. "Luckily, they haven't resurrected the short-faced bear yet. Otherwise, with my current firepower, I really don't want to encounter them."

After riding for less than a hundred meters, Cheng Yijiu stopped the car and took out the binoculars again. "Strange? Impossible. Where did the beast go?" The American lion had clearly walked to the open space in front of the building. It was impossible for it to disappear so quickly in just a few seconds. Where did this big cat go?

So Cheng Yijiu stopped the car, grabbed the binoculars with both hands, and began to search. Strangely, the beast disappeared without a trace, whether it was moving forward or backward. "Could it have already entered the building?" But he didn't see any door, at least not on this side. Cheng Yijiu continued to observe with the binoculars. "Oh shit!" He discovered something.

"Indeed, there's a mutilated human body over there, at least that's what's exposed." He saw a human foot, and along the calf, a bloody leg with a large amount of skin and muscle missing. It was probably the victim Nathan mentioned. That was interesting. Would cats continue to hunt prey that exceeded their appetite?

It's possible if you're just joking.

Chapter nine

After about five minutes, Cheng Yijiu saw nothing unusual, so he sped off on his motorcycle. It was already afternoon when he left, and it wasn't long before it got dark. As usual, he chained the motorcycle to a tree, and Cheng Yijiu himself climbed up to rest. Staying on the ground was too dangerous, even with a fire. Besides, he didn't have a tent or anything.

"That monster's coming again!" A terrified cry echoed from within the base. From the iron gate came the sounds of banging and tearing, as if some animal were clawing at it. Unfortunately, the surveillance camera couldn't see it due to the angle. The base had plenty of power, as the generator in the basement was functioning normally, and there was also enough diesel. The lighting was bright, and they could even power up key locations to repel the beasts. Soon, the banging stopped, replaced by a deep, low growl.

The building was intact, with no holes. However, it had several windows, a serious problem. They had previously reinforced the windows, but that was because a monster had broken through and rushed in, killing two researchers and dragging another away. Only then did everyone remember to reinforce the windows. No one knew if it had been effective, but no one dared to investigate the "reinforced" windows.

Everyone was now huddled in a large, windowless laboratory with an electric steel door. This place was completely impenetrable. Nathan was still trying to determine the type of beast that had attacked the base. When Cheng Yijiu had come here, he had taken the risk of installing a few wireless cameras outside, hoping the beast would soon come into view. Sure enough, he saw the beast in its entirety and uttered the same exclamation as Cheng Yijiu.

"American lion? That's impossible. It's been extinct for 10,000 years. If it survived as some kind of Lazarus species, it wouldn't have been discovered in all those years—after all, it's a carnivore." Nathan was well aware of this; he had a doctorate, after all. He glanced at Elizabeth. If he hadn't been familiar with the company's development projects, he would have suspected, like Cheng Yijiu, that the company had secretly resurrected the American lion.

Elizabeth shook her head. "Why didn't it prey on the bison?" the woman asked, her mind still clear. The massive beast practically ignored the calves. Even calculating the meat content, a calf would have far more meat than a human. There was no reason why the American lion wouldn't prey on bison and instead prey on humans. Nathan shook his head. "I don't know." He couldn't explain it, of course.

Why did the American lion insist on attacking humans? Even Cheng Yijiu couldn't answer this question—could it be a hunter being punished? Transformed into an American lion to live in this world? This time, the American lion disappeared after a ten-minute disturbance, and no more attacks occurred until the next morning. Perhaps the whole thing was over?

Cheng Yijiu dozed off, then saw a pair of enormous orange-yellow eyes. A long, skull-like face, with a playful expression, approached him, accompanied by a girl. Suddenly, Cheng Yijiu jolted awake, and saw a massive beast crouched beneath the tree, its head raised, its large yellow eyes fixed on him. Hunter and beast stared at each other, both speechless.

Only then did Cheng Yijiu finally wake up with a start. There was no other living creature under the tree except the motorcycle. "Was that a dream within a dream within a dream?" he wondered, "or was it a precognitive dream?"

Regardless, Cheng Yijiu took out his bow and arrows and placed them across his legs. The night was very quiet, with no sound of birds or animals. A short while later, there seemed to be a sound of shaking and snapping in the bushes about ten meters away, but that soon faded away. Even with his night vision, Cheng Yijiu didn't see any animals approaching—he even spotted a squirrel in a tree ten meters away, but he didn't see any other animals on the ground.

Oh, the squirrel is still dead. When it was squatting on a branch and chewing something, an American eagle owl flew by silently, spread its claws forward and took the squirrel away.

Cheng Yijiu stretched his body. Even with peak human strength, hunched over a branch for so long would still cause back pain. He moved his body, making a sound like a rattling sound. The stretching of his joints made Cheng Yijiu feel very comfortable. Of course, he would not let go of the bow with his left hand. He was now more than ten meters above the ground, so he didn't think he would be easily pounced by a wild beast. At this height, a mountain lion could barely make it, but lions and tigers would have no chance.

So Cheng Yijiu remained relaxed. "Not really, shouldn't be," he muttered to himself. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he turned and saw the beast standing on the cliff a few dozen meters away, also turning to look at him. This time, Cheng Yijiu could see it very clearly in the moonlight. The American lion was almost silvery white in the moonlight. The large head made it clear that it was a lion, not a tiger, and the body was as big as a horse.

"Yeah, I'm almost there." Cheng Yijiu's mind relaxed, not at all nervous. He'd strangled even larger, magnificently maned demigod lions before him, and the American lion before him would likely die at his hands as well. "Why did it catch up to me? Is its territory that large?" A carnivore like this typically has a territory of only a hundred square kilometers, and Cheng Yijiu had already traveled over fifty kilometers from the base.

This is the straight-line distance. If it's more than 100 kilometers along the way, how could this lion catch up? It's unrealistic.

Was it specifically targeting Cheng Yijiu? The hunter didn't know, but that didn't stop him from sitting on the branch, twisting his waist and drawing his bow. A distance of more than fifty meters was definitely within the killing range. However, just as Cheng Yijiu was about to use his ring to clasp the bowstring and pull it open, the American lion had already turned its head and disappeared behind the rock. "Tsk, is it so smart?" Cheng Yijiu ignored it for the time being, checked his watch, and fell asleep on the branch again.

At daybreak, Cheng Yijiu didn't rush down from the tree. Instead, he carefully observed his surroundings from his perch. "The color of the American lion's fur isn't very suitable for hiding in the woods; it's more suited to shrubs, grasslands, and low-lying trees." So, after careful observation, Cheng Yijiu determined that there were no ferocious beasts within at least a kilometer—not even a grizzly bear. Presumably, a American lion of that size wouldn't be a big deal for a grizzly bear.

chapter Ten

After descending from the tree, Cheng Yijiu ate a little, then got on his motorcycle and rode away. With lionesses roaming nearby, it was dangerous to stay. "The question is, how many lionesses have these bastards resurrected? I have a feeling they'd be much quicker to clone than bison or rhinos?" Indeed, the gestation period for big cats isn't long, so cloning an embryo should be even shorter than for bison. Furthermore, cats can give birth to two or three cubs per litter, while bison only give birth to one.

So these guys probably cloned at least two lions, which would explain why Cheng Yijiu saw a panthera on the road—it had escaped, because all the lions had escaped and naturally dispersed to divide up their territory. And Cheng Yijiu didn't have such a good ability to identify them, instantly memorizing the faint markings on the first panthera's fur and then comparing it to the second one.

But he had a feeling that it was actually just a lioness, and it was definitely not cloned and resurrected by Nathan and his team.

"There's something a little off about the behavior." Cheng Yijiu recalled the feeling he had when he first saw the beast. It was indeed a somewhat strange feeling. Now that he thought about it, he realized that this wasn't the typical behavior of a feline. This was because he couldn't contact Nathan, otherwise Nathan would definitely say it wasn't a lion or a tiger. Could a lion or a tiger behave so arrogantly?

It swaggered about with no fear, not even of guns—of course, this could be explained by the fact that the beast had never seen a gun before. However, Cheng Yijiu knew that even man-eating tigers were not afraid of humans. The same was true for lions accustomed to eating people. These two were the only cats to do so. Even leopards, even though they made a living by eating people, were the type to sneak up on them and attack without force.

The same should be true for the American lion. I wonder if Nathan and his team have ever resurrected a Smilodon? I think that guy probably isn't afraid of people either.

Cheng Yijiu didn't encounter any wild animals on the rest of the journey. Around noon, he arrived at a gas station on the highway and the small town that served it. The long-distance drivers and truckers who came and went brought a lot of life to the town. Cheng Yijiu certainly wasn't looking for a motel; he was looking for a proper hotel. He bought some daily necessities at the supermarket, took a good shower at the hotel, and ordered laundry service to wash his jacket and pants. He threw away his underwear and socks and replaced them with brand new ones.

Of course, they also had a good meal by the way - American cooking is nothing special, but at least their roast pork and steak taste good. However, Cheng Yijiu had to eat them with a lot of lettuce, otherwise it would be too greasy.

After a good night's rest, Cheng Yijiu still felt that a real bed was much more comfortable. His sleep quality seemed a little poor, his head felt heavy and he was very tired. In his groggy state, he felt that he was just closing his eyes to rest, dozing off from time to time, and he probably didn't fall into a deep sleep. It was as if he was sitting by the window, watching the beautiful gray and white cat looming in the shadows under the moonlight on the street below.

The same orange-yellow eyes stared at him quietly, then wrinkled the skin of the nose and lips, opened his mouth to reveal his fangs, and issued a terrible threat to Cheng Yijiu. Cheng Yijiu suddenly shuddered, realizing that he was lying on the bed, sweating. In fact, he had just fallen into a deep sleep. "Another dream within a dream?" He left the bow and arrow in the bag without taking it out, and nimbly got out of bed and stood beside it.

Many of the streetlights in this haunted place were broken, but the moonlight was bright. Cheng Yijiu didn't see any American lions. "I don't think they'd be that bold," he thought. He stood barefoot in front of the window, his body hidden behind the wall, which meant he was looking out at an angle. There was no other way. In the United States, it's best not to stand directly facing the window. Getting hit by a stray bullet wouldn't be worth it. Cheng Yijiu's room was on the second floor, and he just stared down. By this time, the street was deserted.

Cheng Yijiu prepared to return to bed, but with one last, casual glance, he swallowed and spotted a plum blossom-shaped footprint in the dust on the street. Judging by the size of the tiles, the footprint undoubtedly belonged to a rather large feline. The hunter frowned. Cheng Yijiu took a long breath and slowly exhaled, quickly sobering himself up, accelerating his blood flow, and warming his muscles.

Instead of a bow and arrow, he drew his long Rambo knife—a forty-centimeter-long blade with a twenty-six-centimeter-long, razor-sharp edge. He gripped the knife and silently and barefooted walked to the door. Cheng Yijiu paused, his legs spread apart, one in front of the other. He crouched slightly, his right hand holding the hunting knife, his left open, his eyes fixed on the door.

Cheng Yijiu's breathing was soft, and he stared motionlessly at the door before him. He could sense the other beast watching him through the thin plywood door, also moving silently, breathing softly, with only the slightest muscle twitching. Their gazes were likely on the same plane. Goose bumps rose on Cheng Yijiu's exposed skin, not from the cold, but from the intense malice he sensed.

I guess that thing outside isn't much better, right? Because Cheng Yijiu also showed his terrifying killing intent, which was the will that once fought a demigod lion with his bare hands.

Almost instantly, accompanied by a powerful roar, the plywood door flew up. The beast pounced on the door, knocking the entire door inward. Cheng Yijiu didn't think of sneaking around to the side to steal the chicken. If he did that, the beast would probably have been prepared. Cheng Yijiu chose to fight head-on, and he still had ointment smeared on his body - after taking a shower, Cheng Yijiu habitually applied ointment to himself.

He bent down, half-crouching with his legs in front and back, his left arm bent and held horizontally, blocking the flying door. He used his arm and shoulder to withstand the attack of the beast weighing hundreds of kilograms, and even used the door as a shield. The lion's claws did penetrate the door, but it failed to tear it apart. Cheng Yijiu, who bent down like a spring to absorb the force, suddenly let out a short roar. He also exerted force and directly pushed the door up.

The beast weighing over 350 kilograms was unable to stand steadily for a moment and was pushed backwards - the cat's hind legs did not have that much supporting power to stand, and it seemed as if it was about to be pushed to the ground by Cheng Yijiu with the door panel.

Chapter 11

Cheng Yijiu's strength pushed the massive beast back. It growled and scratched at the wooden door with its claws. The plywood door was quite hard. Its claws failed to tear through the door like paper. Instead, Cheng Yijiu pushed it back out in the same way it had lunged in. The beast landed on all fours again, growled deeply outside the door, and then vanished silently.

Cheng Yijiu braced the door against the frame, stepped back slightly, and watched as the plywood door fell outward, landing in the hallway. The lioness had vanished. The creature seemed to have escaped down the stairs. Cheng Yijiu, knife in hand, walked out and down the stairs—certainly not the elevator; lions wouldn't take them.

There weren't many guests in this hotel, and it seemed like there wasn't a single person on the second floor. When Cheng Yijiu got downstairs, he found the door wide open and the front desk in a mess. An old man and a woman had been killed, practically torn to pieces. This also explained why there wasn't a bigger commotion. But what else could Cheng Yijiu do? Call 911. The local police immediately called for backup upon seeing this scene, while Cheng Yijiu was already being questioned.

"It's some kind of feline beast. I think it's a lion that someone raised nearby and it got away. It's a hairless male lion—female lions can't grow that big." Cheng Yijiu said rather calmly. The other party was a fat, white male police officer. After hearing this, he looked a little suspicious. Cheng Yijiu couldn't be considered the murderer. First of all, he was Asian. Secondly, the lion had left too many traces, and the victim was too tragic. Finally, Cheng Yijiu said he was a wildlife photographer...

That made sense, as he'd been able to recognize the beast. Furthermore, this yellow-skinned man was surprisingly strong, surpassing their expectations. Despite his stature, he possessed such immense strength that he could actually block the attack of a beast weighing hundreds of kilograms through a door. "Actually, many Americans can do it, too, as long as they weigh over 250 kilograms and keep their center of gravity low," Cheng Yijiu said with a cold laugh.

Cheng Yijiu, who was cleared of suspicion, could leave the scene, as he had no acquaintance or financial ties with the deceased. Furthermore, the killer was undoubtedly a large lion—which, in turn, would have put the local police in a difficult position: which wild animal-loving rancher could they find out who had lost a lion? There were many American wild animal farmers, many of whom had never registered their records with the police.

The country with the most tigers in the world is actually the United States...

Since it was the lions and tigers who did it, Cheng Yijiu naturally had nothing to do with it, so he rode his motorcycle away at dawn, filling up his tank with gas. "How did this American lion disappear? It couldn't have just disappeared like smoke, it must have been through some other method." Montana is a famous paleontological center, producing many famous dinosaurs and ancient beasts, so Montana also has a very good natural history museum.

Cheng Yijiu's time here was practically nonexistent. So he rode his motorcycle, looking at the road map. He was still thinking about the crystal. "I feel like coming here and finding that crystal isn't an isolated incident..."

Meanwhile, several helicopters arrived at the base. After confirming safety, the surviving researchers boarded with Elizabeth, Nathan, and the others, ignoring the running bison calves. Elizabeth clutched the suitcase tightly—the crystal inside. Interestingly, their flight direction coincided with Cheng Yijiu's current direction.

"Oh, North American paleontology research is truly world-class." While China is currently the leading country in dinosaur research, it's undeniable that the United States still holds the top spot. While Cheng Yijiu was browsing the museum, he was also wondering what his next goal would be. "When will I be allowed to hunt a Tyrannosaurus? Anyway, I haven't encountered any plot points in the Jurassic series yet—it seems?"

There were also many ancient animal fossils here, including Smilodon and Dire Wolf fossils in the tar pits, but what Cheng Yijiu was most interested in was the skeleton of the American Lion. The bones were thick and massive, very similar to those of a living lion, but a full size larger. Looking at the bones left by this beast before him, Cheng Yijiu couldn't help but recall the force of its attack. "I almost didn't block it!"

Luckily, this thing should be relatively easy to control, since there's no lion's mane in the way. A simple naked choke should be enough to kill the monster. The museum was closing time, and Cheng Yijiu was indeed leaving. A helicopter flew over his head. "A country with a huge civilian helicopter industry, actually flying in formation." As Cheng Yijiu observed, something was clearly wrong with the helicopter.

It lost control and spun downwards, with something clearly being thrown out of the fuselage. Fortunately, the pilot managed to regain control before the crash, stabilized the fuselage, and then moved forward to attempt an emergency landing. Cheng Yijiu pushed the motorcycle to leave, but he saw the frightened people getting off the helicopter, so he immediately turned around, hid the motorcycle behind the museum, and then climbed directly into the closed museum.

He really didn't want to have anything to do with Elizabeth and Nathan anymore, especially now that their pants were soaking wet. He didn't want to see these unlucky people who had peed their pants out of fear. The museum was nice, quiet, and the patrolling security guards were mostly irresponsible. Finding a place to sleep was easy. Cheng Yijiu simply chose a corner and leaned against it to rest.

It was dark, and he had already avoided the security's first round of inspections. Of course, he also knew they would conduct another round at midnight, and then another at dawn. The main lights in the museum were turned off, leaving only a few emergency lights. Leaning against a dark wall, Cheng Yijiu prepared to fall asleep. "What's with that clacking sound? Do they like disturbing people's sleep?" Cheng Yijiu stood up and looked in the direction of the sound.

What he saw was the fossil bones in the exhibition hall shaking. "Damn it! Night at the Museum?" Where was the pharaoh's gold medal? Otherwise, these things shouldn't be moving. Even more surprised than Cheng Yijiu were the night security guards. They heard the sound of the organs and rushed out to see, only to be terrified.

They were giant skeletal beasts moving one after another, especially the most conspicuous Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton - this beast was moving with an agility that was totally inconsistent with its huge body, as light as a giant bird.

Chapter 12

The situation is far worse than popcorn flicks like Night at the Museum, where the Tyrannosaurus replica behaves like a large dog and enjoys playing ball-tossing. Meanwhile, the Tyrannosaurus replica here clearly exudes the aura of a supreme predator, searching for food. Of course, those other fossils certainly don't have meat, so they don't count as food.

Those taxidermied specimens actually came to life and ran around the museum, but they were not meat either - those "resurrected" beasts, whether they were bones or specimens, had no interest in each other, probably because they knew very well that they were empty.

So what is the most suitable meat here? It is very clear... Poor night duty security guard, of course, if he is discovered, Cheng Yijiu will also be one of them.

Amidst screams, the security room was breached—they didn't even have time to fire their guns. This world was bizarre. Those skeletons and specimens, clearly marine creatures, could actually swim in the air—yes, they could even be "resurrected." Is swimming in the air that weird? The good thing was that their swimming speed was about the same as walking, and sprinting could probably be considered running, but it wasn't as fast as actually being in the water.